Bradley Cooper Rumored to Be on the Shortlist to Play THE FLASH; Greg Berlanti Unlikely to Direct

Once upon a time, Ryan Reynolds was in talks to star in the DC Comics superhero movie, The Flash. The project stalled and Reynolds eventually went on to play another DC Comics superhero: Green Lantern. Bradley Cooper (who is costarring with Reynolds in an untitled buddy-cop film) was one of the final contenders to play Green Lantern. Now Moviehole is reporting that Cooper is on the shortlist to play The Flash. And this is how we play “One Degree of Popular Actors Playing Superheroes”.

Moviehole notes that this is a very early rumor and screenwriter Greg Berlanti’s script, according to Deadline, isn’t even due until Christmas. However, Cooper is at that sweet spot for a studio where he doesn’t command a ridiculous salary but is recognizable enough and reliable enough to lead a major franchise. Cooper is currently filming on The Hangover 2, which is due out next year. Hit the jump for more on The Flash.

In their report, Deadline notes that Berlanti is unlikely to direct The Flash. Berlanti just scored a respectable hit this past weekend with Life As We Know It, but Deadline reports that “He won’t want to direct [The Flash] because he kinda wants to do something in between size-wise first before attempting something that large.”

As we’ve previously reported, Berlanti is developing treatments for Green Lantern2and The Flash with Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim. Berlanti co-wrote Green Lantern, which is currently in post-production and which Deadline says is shaping up to be “jaw-dropping”. It’s due out in 3D on June 17th.

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